Wheel-tire.



D. RONCONI.

WHEEL TIRE.

APPLICATION FILEDOGT. 27, 1911.

1,050,297 Patented Jan. 14, 1913.

l/VVEIVTOR WITNESSES:

flanwnu-a fioncaw/u DQMENICO BONCONI, OF EVELETH, MINNESOTA. v

WHEEL-TIRE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented- Jan. 1a, 1913.

Application filed October 2 7, 1911. Serial No. 657,139.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, DOMENICO ltoiycom, a subject of the King of Italy, residing at Eveleth, in the county of St. Louis and State of Minnesota, have invented a new and Improved lVheel-Tire, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in that class of pneumatic tires comprising connected sections, and it primarily has for. its

v objectto provide a tire of the general character mentioned, inwhich any one of the several sections when damaged, can be readily replaced without dispensing with the entire tire. j n

In its specific nature this invention relates to improvements on the tire construe scribed, specifically pointed out in the ap-- tion disclosed in my Patent No. 1,008,284, dated November 7, 1911, and the said invention consists in the details and peculiar arrangement of parts hereinafter fully depended claims and illustrated in theac 'companying drawing, in which Figure]. is a side elevation of a portion of a wheel equipped with my improved con struction of tire, parts being shown in" section. Fig.2 is a cross section of the tire taken on the line 22 on Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a similar viewthereof taken on the line 3 3 on Fig. 1. Fig.4 is a perspective view of one of the removabletire sections, and

.Fig. 5 is a perspective view, parts being in section, of the meeting ends of a pair of the removable sections. r

In carrying out my invention the wheel,

I com rising the hub A, the spokes 1, and

the elly 2, may beof any wellknown construction. f p

, 3 designates metal-retaining'rims mounted upon the felly-2,'between which are mounted and with which connectthe independently removable tire sections, the peculiar construction of whichand the means for detachably joining them, forming the essential features of my present invention, Therims' 3 include retaining flangesBO that extend at right angles .to the rim proper 3, and it is between the said flanges 30 that the pneumatic and" removable tire sections are detachably mounted,

The tireproper is composed of a series or sections '7 of like construction, and these have their adjacentf'endsirelliiced in thickness whereby. to form la'p oints, the .ex-

ternally reduced end 70 of one section fitting into the internally reduced end 71 of the adjacent section 7, and the-said two ends referred to, the outer ends of the flaps being secured by some of the rivets 12 that fasten the connecting members 21 to the the connecting members 21, presently again are firmly'secured-by snap buttons and eyesaid outer tire sections '7. as is best shown 7 in Fig. 3 of the drawing. By connecting as stated and shown, the durability of the completetire is greatlyincreased since the said connections are such that a substan the joining ends of the several tire sections 7 .tially continuous or single tubing is thereby created. A

By referring now more particularly to Figs. 2 and 4 it will be noticed, a metal rim "or retaining rim 3is mounted on each edge of the felly and the short horizontal flanges tures15 for receivin the fastening l6, presently again re erredv to. p

2121 designate the'connecting members,

members are in the nature of metal strips my present invention, the connecting members or strips 21 while theyv are arranged somewhat similar to .the showingiof the -metal'fastening strips in my patent before referred to, in the present case they are attached to their respective tire sections 7 tends. beyond the female or receiving endv of the section 7, as indicated by. 29,- and or portions 4 of the said rims have aper-' bolts of which there is one for ea'ch lower edge. of the flexible tube section 7, and the said 1 e5 secured to the said sections by rivets'l2. In

in such manner that one endwthereof ex:-

likewise stop shortof the other end of the said section; 'The object in forming each vides, asit were, aso'li'dmember over which the flapslo mayI-be folded, so asjt'o produce a .durable andpositive .cr'innection. At the points wherejthefiaps-mb d over 1 strip 21 withanextension 29 is that it pro-x g intone? the lower edges 2"? of the outer tire members, the said edges 27 are suficiently reduced in thickness, see Fig. 5, so that when the flaps 10 are bent thereover, the thickness of the said flap serves to produce a uniform thickness for the lower edges of the tires 7 their full length.

The end 29 of each strip 21. is bent out at right angles to form a locking lug 20,

and it has an aperture 25 to receive a clanip' ing bolt having a headed shank 26 for interlockingwith the bifurcated angle lug 1'8, formed on theother end oi? the next adjacent strip 21, it being understood that each strip 21 has an apertured lug 20, at one end, and a bifurcated lug 18, at the other end.

For adjusting the metal strip connections 21, one or more yieldable spacers or washers 13 are held between the clamped ends of the said strips 21. Each connecting strip has a lateral and horizontally disposed flange 11 formed with a longitudinal slot 23, and a transverse slot 14, that merges with the other slot 23, and in fitting the several parts, the slotted flanges receive the bolts 16, which have nuts 17 for securely clamping the strips 21 down onto their respective rim portions 3, yielding washers 13 being also used between the members 3 and 4 to pro vide for the desired adjustment of the parts. It may be well to state in addition to the previous description of the strip connection 21, that they perform a very important function in maintaining a stable construction of wheel, in that the alternately ex tended ends 29 and 20 may be supplied with a plurality of washers 13, which may either be added to or substracted in order to ob-. tain a tight fitting of the sections 7, it be ing obvious that by this method, any opening of the abutting joints of the aforesaid sections 7 ma be closed by takin out the required number of washers 13. ghould it be desired to move one of the said sections 7, loosening of nut 17 and bolts 26 is all that is required, the remaining sections.

keeping their places independently, which wouldnot be the case were the flanges 11 and 4: not provided, the above briel. description, it is thought brings out more clearly the function of the aforesaid flanges.

5 designates the inner or inflatable tube which is of the usual form.

From the foregoing taken in connection with the drawing, the complete construction and arrangement of the parts that constitute my improved wheel tire, will bereadily understood. By reason of the said construction and cooperative connection of the parts the tire may be readily taken apart and a new section put in to replace a disabled section, without dispensing with the entire tire. making the connections that secure the tire sections in longitudinal. alinement at points out of line with the inter-.

locked or lapped. ends oi the said tire sections, and providing yieldab e spacing or adjusting disks or washers between the joined ends of the several strips 21, provision is made for a limited yielding of the said connections, thereby reducing danger of breaking or snapping thesaid connect-ions during use of the wheel,

hat I claim is 1. A tire of the character described comprising a plurality of arc-shaped sections having interloclrable overlapping ends, means for holding the several sections in longitudinal alinemen-t, the said means comprising metallic strips permanently secured to the side edges or" each arc-shaped section, the said strips having one end projected beyond the section to which they are attached, whereby to extend over the adjacent section and engage with'the contiguous end of the metallic members on the said adjacent section, clamp devices tor'detachably interlocking the meeting ends of the said metallic members, and retaining rims for cooperating with the metallic tire section connecting members, said rim including a flange for lapping over the said metallic members, and means interlockably connecting the said retaining rims with the said metallic members.

2. In a wheel tire of the character described, the following elements in combination with the wheel telly; a plurality of arc shaped tire sections having overlapping and interlocking ends, means for detachably securing the arc-shaped sections in longitudinal alinement whereby to form a tire, the said means comprising metallic strips per manently secured to the side edges of each individual arc-shaped section, the said metallic strips for each individual section ex- 5 tending at one end beyond the said individual section, and having the other end stopped short of the other end of the said individual section, wvhereby when the arcshaped sections are joined the projecting ends of one setof metallic strips will abut the adjacent ends of the metallic strips on the adjacent tire section, means for detachably connecting the abutting ends of the metallic strips, a retaining rim for each set of metallic strips mounted upon the wheel 'felly, said rim including a horizontal portion and a vertical vfiange, the horizontal portion being apertured at intervals, means for connecting the slotted flanges of the me tallic strips to the horizontal flanges of the retaining rims at their apertured portions. the said means including yieldable spacing washers, p j I In a wheel tire oi the character described, the following elements in combination with the, wheel "telly; a plurality of areshaped tire sections having overlapping and interlocking ends, means for detachably securing the arc-shaped sections in longitudiends of one set of metallicstrips will abut 'the'adjacent ends of the metallic strips on the adjacent tire sections, means for-detachably connecting the abutting ends of the me-.

tallic strips, a retaining rim for each set of metallic strips mounted upon the wheel felly, said rim including a horizontal portion and a vertical flange, a horizontal por tion being aperturedat intervals, means for connecting the slotted flanges of the metallic strips to the horizontal flanges of the retaining rims at their apertured portions, the inner one of thebveriapping ends of the arc-shaped sections having lateral flaps for bending up over the metallic strips and to be clamped by the vertical flanges of the retaining rims.

4. A tire of the character described comprising a plurality of arc-shaped sections having overlapping ends, means for detach ably securing the said overlapped ends together above their edges, and means permanently secured to the side edges of each individual arc-shaped section, consisting of metallic strips, each of said strips being so arranged whereby a portion thereof extends beyond the meeting edges of the tire sections to form extensions, the inner one of the overlapped ends of each pair of sections having flaps foldable over the outer and over the extensions of the metallic strips, and means for securing the said foldable portions.

5. A tire" of the character described comprising a plurality of arc-shaped sections aving overlapping ends, means for detachably securing the said overlapped ends together above their edges, and means permanently-secured to the side edges of each individual arc-shaped section, consisting of metallic strips, each of said strips being so arranged whereby a portion thereof extends beyond the meeting edges of the tire sections to form extensions, the inner one of theoverlapped ends of each pair of sections having flaps foldable over the outer over lapping end of the adjacent section and over the extensions of the metallic strips, means for securing the said foldable portions and retaining rimsfor engaging the said folded portions and the metallic strips.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name in presence of the subscribed witnesses this 21st day of September 1911.

DOMENICO RONCONI. Witnesses:

P. F. HUNTINGTON, L. MJBARRETT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained. for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner or Patents,

I Washington, D. G.

overlapping end of the adjacent section 

